Rhetorical Devices Used In I Have A Dream Speech
I Have a Dream Speech
Theme: During Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech, there were many problems brought about concerning equality and freedom of the black population. What he wanted to get across to the people was that the United States was not abiding by its own laws and beliefs, so he wanted to get the theme of equality and racial justice across to his audience. This is considered his theme because this was the underlying message he wanted to get across to all those who heard and were impacted by his speech.
Type of Speech: There are three types of speeches a presenter can make. They are a persuasive speech, informative speech, or entertainment speech. I believe that MLK’s speech had concepts of all three types of speeches …show more content…
He referred to the U.S. constitution, the declaration of independence, the emancipation proclamation, the Gettysburg address, and the bible. Through the use of these documents. MLK proved everyone’s right to equality. It was important to use these references because these documents created the foundation of our country, which was not being followed.
Style: There was a lot of repetition and anaphors used in the speech. Some examples of the anaphors were the part when MLK repeated “I have a dream” at the beginning of each sentence. He also had a part of the speech where he repeated the phrase ‘100 years later” and “Let freedom ring” at the beginning of each statement. A lot of repetition of the words: freedom, equality, happiness, racial injustice, and struggle which strongly enforced MLK’s message throughout the speech.
Language: Almost every statement made by Martin Luther King was a comparison to something else. He used metaphors and similes in almost every other sentence. His comparisons were strong and compassionate comparisons that people could relate to. For example, “let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” MLK was comparing a feeling to a physical action which always people to relate to what he is trying to say. By using these similes and metaphors, MLK’s speech sounded like a poem. His words flowed from sentence to sentence like he was speaking in stanzas
Theme: During Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech, there were many problems brought about concerning equality and freedom of the black population. What he wanted to get across to the people was that the United States was not abiding by its own laws and beliefs, so he wanted to get the theme of equality and racial justice across to his audience. This is considered his theme because this was the underlying message he wanted to get across to all those who heard and were impacted by his speech.
Type of Speech: There are three types of speeches a presenter can make. They are a persuasive speech, informative speech, or entertainment speech. I believe that MLK’s speech had concepts of all three types of speeches …show more content…
He referred to the U.S. constitution, the declaration of independence, the emancipation proclamation, the Gettysburg address, and the bible. Through the use of these documents. MLK proved everyone’s right to equality. It was important to use these references because these documents created the foundation of our country, which was not being followed.
Style: There was a lot of repetition and anaphors used in the speech. Some examples of the anaphors were the part when MLK repeated “I have a dream” at the beginning of each sentence. He also had a part of the speech where he repeated the phrase ‘100 years later” and “Let freedom ring” at the beginning of each statement. A lot of repetition of the words: freedom, equality, happiness, racial injustice, and struggle which strongly enforced MLK’s message throughout the speech.
Language: Almost every statement made by Martin Luther King was a comparison to something else. He used metaphors and similes in almost every other sentence. His comparisons were strong and compassionate comparisons that people could relate to. For example, “let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.” MLK was comparing a feeling to a physical action which always people to relate to what he is trying to say. By using these similes and metaphors, MLK’s speech sounded like a poem. His words flowed from sentence to sentence like he was speaking in stanzas